


grail for love

by MiniNephthys



Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: Drabble Collection, Gen, part 1 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2020-07-24 01:09:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 50
Words: 5,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20017789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: A collection of drabbles of each non-gold Servant with their Master.





	1. Arash

**Author's Note:**

> Starting with the lowest rarity Servants and working my way towards the higher rarity ones. One per Servant, alts don't count. NA Servants only.
> 
> Posted in batches of five.

Arash’s Noble Phantasm is extraordinarily powerful, at the cost of his own life. When his Spirit Origin is recorded in Chaldea, this isn’t much of a problem. He can give it his all every battle, secure in the knowledge that he’ll still be around to protect his Master the next fight. Both of them know that.

When his Master comes back from Camelot, one of the first things she does is hug him tightly, face buried in his chest. Arash startles for just a moment before he gently strokes Ritsuka’s hair.

“I’ve got you. I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”


	2. Asterios

Asterios has never had the choice to be anything besides what he is.

“Why…?”

His Master turns to him, tilts her head. She’s patient with his faltering words.

“Why… you… this?”

“Why do I work at Chaldea?” she asks. He nods. “Well… I needed a job, and I decided this one looked interesting. Just because I wanted to, I guess.” She laughs weakly. “Sorry, I didn’t join because I dreamed of helping people or saving the world. It’s a stupid reason, right?”

Asterios shakes his head. “…Is good.”

To do something just because you wanted to. His Master is lucky.


	3. Spartacus

Rebellion is his life and his love.

Spartacus’ enemies are oppressors. Therefore, to attack them is rebellion. Therefore, to harm them is love. He hates them, but they will receive his love.

Ritsuka, too, may receive his love one day, if she forgets that they are equals. If that happens, accept his love with gratitude.

“It won’t happen.”

Ritsuka doesn’t want to receive his love. That’s good. Spartacus would rather she help him rebel against other oppressors as comrades in rebellion. But if she ever becomes even a bit like a tyrant, Spartacus promises he will love her without reservation.


	4. Mata Hari

If Mata Hari were summoned in a normal Holy Grail War, there’s no way she could win the Grail. As a Servant, she’s far too weak. Her wish was hopeless from the beginning.

In Chaldea, they have Grails, waiting to strengthen other Servants when the time is right. If she charmed the security guards, she could surely get in. She could take just one to make her wish, they’d still have more…

“It’s Rider training today. Are you ready?”

…and she would surely upset her Master, who has placed her faith in her despite her weakness.

“Ready to go, Master~”


	5. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart is a musician Caster.

He’s not a fighter like Sanzang, who can crush their Master’s enemies on the battlefield. He’s not a healer like Irisiviel, who can soothe their Master’s wounds. He’s not an inventor like Da Vinci, whose inventions ease day-to-day living. He’s not a powerful mage like Merlin or Waver, whose skills make them a necessity for any fight.

No, he has a role more important than any of them, for when Ritsuka returns to her room weeping over the sacrifices she had to make today, Mozart plays her his music, and Ritsuka can smile once again.


	6. Paul Bunyan

“If you remodel the ceilings in Chaldea, what will happen to the humans here while you’re still working on it? We’ll freeze to death.”

So said Bunyan’s Master. It’s true that Antarctica is too cold to go without a roof for any length of time, but they said the West was too wild to ever be tamed! This is just another frontier for her to cultivate!

With a fire in her heart, she went to start building another, new and improved Chaldea base. She started digging her pick into the ice, but…

“…it really is way too cold out here…”


	7. Sasaki Kojirou

“Do you want me to call you something besides Sasaki?”

Sasaki hums for a moment. “If you believe we are close enough to warrant ‘Kojirou’, I would be honored by such intimate address.”

Ritsuka shakes her head. “No, I mean your real name.”

Ah, so that’s it. It’s true that he is a real swordsman standing in for a fictional character. His name in life must have been something else. However…

“I don’t remember the name, so I cannot ask you to address me by it.” When Ritsuka looks crestfallen, he adds, “But merely to be asked is a comfort.”


	8. Phantom of the Opera

Erik knows her name isn’t Christine. Mental Pollution is not Mad Enhancement. He has seen himself summoned as a Berserker in Shinjuku, and been repulsed.

(He has always been repulsed by himself. Berserker’s actions have nothing to do with it.)

He knows she isn’t his Christine, but she is. Because her voice is beauty, because she extends forgiveness to one who does not deserve it and cannot accept it.

“I would set myself aflame for you if you but only gave the word, my Christine.”

“I don’t want you to suffer any more.”

Such beauty, such kindness, wasted on him.


	9. Eric Bloodaxe

“Blood, blood, blood!”

That’s not it. Say ‘I’m worried about your health’, Gunnhild says.

Eric scrunches up his face. “…Gaah.”

Try again, dear, she says. I know you can do it.

“…I’m worried about… your health…?”

Ritsuka turns to him so quickly that now he’s even more worried about the whiplash. “Eric? I, I promise I’m fine, really!”

“…nnn.” He doesn’t believe it, but he’s also run out of words again, so he just looks at her.

After a second, she shrinks away from his intense stare. “…well… maybe I could make time for a checkup with Roman later…”

“Goooood!”


	10. Leonidas I

When his Master was only a green recruit in the fields of Orleans, Leonidas was her frontline Lancer. Since then he’s been replaced by the like of Karna and Enkidu.

So be it: Leonidas will gladly serve as the rearguard once more. No incursion into Chaldea will ever succeed while he remains within.

It is a bit of a surprise when his Master starts giving him embers and taking him on missions again after Babylonia. Did his performance there impress her?

When he takes off his helmet and Ritsuka turns beet red, the answer becomes clear:

‘Oh no, he’s hot.’


	11. Charles-Henri Sanson

Before the guillotine, there was the wheel, where the condemned might last for days with broken bones in every limb, being pecked at by birds, until they finally died. If they were lucky, the executioner might have been granted permission to strangle them after the second or third bone was broken.

The guillotine was humane. No pain, no suffering. An equal and swift end to all brought before Sanson. Yet how humane can you be with the blood of three thousand on your hands?

Ritsuka does not wish for suffering, even to her enemies. That’s why Sanson can follow her.


	12. Caligula

If Caligula tries hard enough, he can remember the first seven months of his reign. The cheering crowds that called him ‘our star’. The public festivals, the generous reform. The days when Rome loved him as much as he loved Rome, before the moon loved him more.

Our star, our baby. He is not that Caligula now. Even if he manages a few moments of clarity, he will never be that Caligula again. The darkness remains.

But his Master, too, is Rome. And when his Master praises him for a job well done, it feels a little like those days.


	13. Hans Christian Andersen

When people have favorites of Andersen’s stories, it’s usually one of a select few. The Little Mermaid. The Emperor’s New Clothes. The Little Match Girl.

Rarely do people say “Which Was the Happiest?” and Andersen has to know why.

“All the roses were happy,” Ritsuka says. “Even though they all ended up doing such different things, they all were happy with their lives. …I haven’t known what I wanted to do with my life, so… it was reassuring.”

“Happy endings again… tch, you sound like Nursery Rhyme.”

Next White Day, Andersen finds her a green rose with a damaged leaf.


	14. Georgios

Georgios is a dragon-slayer, and only that. On those missions he excels: on all others, he is left at Chaldea.

He doesn’t mind. He has plenty of time to spend on his hobbies: taking pictures of the scenery in every Singularity and capturing candid photos of the other Servants.

“Can I keep these?” Ritsuka asks about his photos. “Because, someday I might not be able to summon you anymore, and… I don’t want to forget anyone.”

“Of course you can.”

The photo album he makes has pictures of every Servant in Chaldea, except himself. He doubts she’ll ever even notice.


	15. Edward Teach

Once, Ritsuka mixes up ‘Blackbeard’ with ‘Bluebeard’.

“It’s Blackbeard! Black-beard! Do I look like that kind of gonk to you?!”

“Well…” Ritsuka holds her tongue. Probably too ashamed of her mistake to say anything.

Teach huffs. “FYI, I might be an otaku who’s always horny on main, but I’ve still got standards. Your kink is not my kink and your kink is not okay! Disgracing us -beards everywhere!”

“…maybe I’ll bring you next time I need a Rider to beat that guy up. Maybe.”

It’s sort of an apology. Teach doesn’t get enough of those to be picky about them.


	16. William Shakespeare

Shakespeare makes no apologies for his writing being hard to understand in the modern day. It’s hardly his fault if the English that was spoken is not the English taught to Japanese students centuries later.

Yet he also cannot stand to have his work misunderstood, which leads to him helping Ritsuka with the harder parts anyway.

Ritsuka, after squinting at a monologue for a full minute, finally asks, “Is this one just a joke about prostitutes?”

“You wound me, Master!” Shakespeare says, hand to his chest. “Jaques speaks of nothing less than the inevitable passage of time, _and_ of prostitutes.”


	17. Musashibou Benkei

Musashibou Benkei is a man who never lived, the hero Kaison wished he could be. To have his strength now as a Heroic Spirit is cruel. Cruel to those who fought valiantly by Yoshitsune’s side but were not remembered enough to become Servants, while a coward was given power he never earned.

“What do you mean?” Ritsuka asks. “You helped save humanity. How could you not have earned the right to be a Heroic Spirit?”

Earning his reward only after getting it… is the way things have always been.

“I must still atone, for as long as I am ‘Benkei’.”


	18. Hassan of the Cursed Arm

Evil is a relative term. To assassinate someone rather than engaging them directly in combat can be called evil, but if a tyrant is assassinated, that can be called good. To kill for a living is evil, but to be a soldier for your country is noble and good.

“I don’t think you’re evil, no matter what your Spirit Graph says,” Ritsuka says. “Neutral at worst. You’ve always been so kind…”

“You are my lord,” answers Hassan. “I take great care not to show you my more unpleasant sides.”

Yet the words lighten his heart, as wrong as they are.


	19. Gaius Julius Caesar

“It can’t be helped,” says Caesar, sighing, “that you’ve summoned a Heroic Spirit renowned for politics in a place where politics mean nothing.”

Ritsuka hangs her head.

“As an orator, I am second to none, but your Servants acclaim you as a woman of few words. As a general, I am adept at leading great numbers of legions, but battles between handfuls of Servants don’t resemble those wars at all.”

“I just want people to stop saying rude things about you,” Ritsuka says.

“I’ve heard worse,” Caesar replies. “At least no one is calling me a bottom this time around.”


	20. Boudica

“Some of the staff are saying they’d like to see you summoned as an Avenger,” Ritsuka says. “What do you think about that? I can try to get a catalyst.”

“Master,” Boudica says, “what do you think about the sky?”

“Huh? I think it’s beautiful.”

“I love it. The sky, the grass, the way people smile after you make food for them.” Boudica sighs. “If I were summoned as an Avenger, I wouldn’t be able to feel love for any of those things. A life like that, for me, would just be constant suffering.”

“…Okay. I won’t go for Avenger.”


	21. Kiyohime

There is no one to whom love can be barred. Be they human, or dragon, or demon: everyone deserves to love and be loved in return.

Kiyohime has been betrayed before. This time, she will make her relationship with Ritsuka very clear, so that no misunderstandings are possible.

“I don’t mind if you spend time with other Servants, Master. I don’t even mind if they love you, or if you love them. As long as you love me most, never leave me and never, ever lie to me, I won’t do anything bad at all.”

That’s not so hard, right?


	22. Fergus mac Roich

“Cu Chulainn?”

“Ten,” Fergus says. “Medb would kill me, but it’d be worth it just to get a chance at him.”

“Amen,” says Ritsuka. “What about the alter version?”

“Eight,” he replies. “If I’m gonna get impaled during sex, that’s not the kind of spike I want to be impaled on.”

“What? He’s definitely hotter than the regular version. You agreed with me about Kiara’s horns!”

“Convenient handlebars are completely different!”

Fergus appreciates that his Master is just as much of a bisexual disaster as he is, but some of her kinks are on the weirder side, even for him.


	23. Billy the Kid

Billy is the kind of guy who likes peace and quiet. The kind of noisy, rough-and-tumble life that the Wild West is known for doesn’t suit him. Most of all, he hates when people pay too much attention to him.

Luckily, he’s in Chaldea. No one will notice a common outlaw when there are gods and heroes to fuss about instead.

“We did it, we protected the town! It’s all thanks to you, Billy!”

Ritsuka praising him makes him all kinds of awkward, mumbling something about not looking at him like that.

But he doesn’t completely hate it, he guesses.


	24. Hassan of the Serenity

Hassan is touch-starved.

She does not regret developing her poison body. That would be an disgrace to the name of Old Man of the Mountain and an insult to those who bestowed that title upon her. She hates this body, but she does not regret her life.

But there is a simple pleasure from holding her Master’s hand, one that she treasures as often as possible. And even though all she can do for Ritsuka is kill her enemies, and many other Servants can fulfill that role as well - stronger, kinder, more beautiful Servants…

…Ritsuka still reaches for her hand.


	25. Geronimo

Geronimo is a man who is not easily risen to anger.

He has to be. One cannot always be the demon who fights with the strength of the Lion, lest they forget what they valued and swore to avenge. He does not fear bloodshed, but when it is possible to find a peaceable solution, he must always first seek peace. To fail is painful, but to not even try is monstrous.

Ritsuka, whose heart bleeds for every person she cannot save, is the perfect Master for him. A heart that is hewed from stone is not one he can trust.


	26. Gilles de Rais

Her Servants offer comfort about Roman’s death, in their ways. Some offer a shoulder to cry on. The younger ones shower her with gifts and amateur drawings. And some…

“Gilles,” she says, soft, eyes red. “I understand you better now.”

Were it any other time, Gilles would have crowed triumphantly about Ritsuka seeing the truth of God’s uncaring ways. He would have cackled.

But he remembers a young knight who shed tears in anger and in sorrow, asking why a pure soul had been abandoned by her God, and says nothing.

That is the best he can do for her.


	27. Mephistopheles

Boredom is the absolute worst of all fates.

To die while having fun, that’s just fine with Mephistopheles. To live in service to another, as long as he’s entertained, is no problem at all.

But to bore him is unforgivable, even for his Master. Especially for his Master. If that were ever to happen, of course he’d betray her to make his own fun.

“But! If I ever leave you, Master, I’ll give you a wonderful parting gift in return!”

“Is it a bomb,” she says, deadpan.

His grin widens. “They say it’s better to go out with a bang~”


	28. Christopher Columbus

Columbus is completely insufferable on Columbus Day.

It’s not like Ritsuka’s surprised. He’s insufferable most of the time, more so than even other evil Servants. And even the most humble of Servants will recognize that they’re being celebrated.

“Columbus,” Ritsuka says, smiling. “I just wanted to wish you a happy-”

“Why thank you-”

“-Indigenous Peoples’ Day!”

“…huh?

Her smile keeps getting bigger. “I think it’s really important that we take a day to celebrate the rich culture of the Native American people! You’re celebrating too, right? You thanked me, after all.”

Columbus looks even more like death than usual. Good.


	29. Fuuma Kotarou

To serve his lord, to serve his clan, Fuuma did horrible things. He would murder those who had no ability to fight back. He would set fire to encampments, and those who could not escape in time would burn alive.

His Master asks for none of these things. She only wishes for him to fight those who would cause harm to others, and hopes for their enemies not to feel excess pain before their death. She is a kind person. That is why-

Fuuma will dirty his hands with whatever must be done, so that his lord’s may remain clean.


	30. Hassan of the Hundred Faces

Hassan is frequently in disagreement with themselves. It’s only natural that so many would have difficulty being unanimous on any subject.

“Are you fine with this plan?” Ritsuka asks.

They take a moment to confer with themselves. The one who is speaking to Ritsuka now, though she is of the dissenting opinion, says, “We are in agreement with you.”

Ritsuka frowns. “But you don’t think so.”

“I do not,” Hassan admits, wondering when she became so easy for her Master to read. “But I am outnumbered. If we didn’t abide by the majority’s will, we couldn’t take a single step.”


	31. Robin Hood

All around Robin are Servants much better suited to save humanity. He’s in the company of King Arthur, Alexander the Great, Heracles… Even that fox is a more natural choice for this place at the end of everything.

But his Master’s chosen him. Cowardly Robin, who hates to fight on the front lines, who rolls his eyes at the thought of heroism, is supposed to save humanity.

It sounds like a bad joke. He wants to laugh.

Ritsuka puts her hand on his shoulder. Maybe she sensed the turn of his thoughts. “I believe in you.”

…he’ll at least try.


	32. Henry Jekyll & Hyde

Hyde was never supposed to be separate from him. Not a separate personality, just a convenient disguise. But time has remembered him, them, differently.

Jekyll wonders how much remains. If he remembers who he was meant to be, the respectable doctor who indulged himself and his mask too far, and yet Hyde is still separate from him, does he still hold those base instincts from his first iteration?

(Ritsuka smiles at him and it’s too bright, too bright for the darkness that coils in him.

He promises her that he is still himself. She doesn’t know what that truly means.)


	33. Jaguar Man

Of course Jaguar Man’s personality is more like the possessed human’s than the spirit’s! Stupid! Idiot! Stupid idiot!

If getting a guardian spirit would change your personality, you wouldn’t want one no matter how strong it made you, right? And if people didn’t see having a jaguar spirit as something they should respect and want, they might nyat give the jaguar as many sacrifices, right? And fresh, juicy food is pawsitively the most important thing in the whole world, right?

“That all makes sense,” Ritsuka says timidly, “but I just wanted to ask if you always did the cat puns…”


	34. Bedivere

The attempt at fishing didn’t work so well, but later Ritsuka admitted she had been serious when asking Bedivere to tell her a story to soothe her. And so he obliged.

Tales of the places he’d been to, all across the world. Tales of the daring exploits of the other Knights of the Round.

“Tell me something about yourself?” Ritsuka asks.

“I have no stories that could compare to my fellow knights’ deeds,” he replies.

“But I don’t want to hear about them, I want to hear about you. My knight.”

His cheeks burn red. “…As you wish, my Master.”


	35. David

“You keep calling all the girls Abishag,” Ritsuka says with a sigh.

“Not all the women,” David says. “Only the beautiful ones.”

Somehow, she keeps herself from pointing out that David thinks all women are beautiful, or at least he seems to, considering how much he flirts with them. “But when it comes to the men, no matter how handsome they are… I’ve never heard you call any of them Jonathan.”

David pauses. “There is a very simple explanation for that.”

“Which is?”

“If you had ever seen Jonathan, you would know his beauty couldn’t be mistaken for any other.”


	36. Hector

Hector can always tell when they’ve summoned a Servant Ritsuka is worried about getting into a fight with another Servant. Interrupting her hummingbird impression, he asks, “So who’d we get?”

“Achilles.” She bites her lip. “Is that okay?”

“Sure.” At her clear surprise at his easy forgiveness of the man who killed him, Hector goes on. “War’s not clean, y’know? Every man you kill has loved ones. And if one of those loved ones goes and kills you next, can’t be too offended about that. But thanks for thinking of me.”

He ruffles her hair, and she swats his hand.


	37. Romulus

Things that are Rome, according to Romulus:

-Actual for real Rome.  
-Chaldea.  
-Ritsuka.  
-When you use a bunch of Saint Quartz and get approximately fuck and all.  
-When you use a bunch of Saint Quartz and get a five star Servant that wasn’t even on rate-up.  
-Ember grinding.  
-Material grinding.  
-Y-posing.  
-T-posing.  
-Any posing whatsoever.  
-Ritsuka falling asleep in the dining room and waking up with three different Servants’ capes on top of her.  
-Ritsuka having to track Romulus down to return his cape after.  
-Suggestive bulges.  
-Actually having a dagger in his pants.  
-Also being happy to see her.


	38. Charles Babbage

“Do you ever get out of the robot?” Ritsuka asks. “Since Servants can summon their armor instantly, when you have a break…”

“This mecha must be exited manually, unlike most Servant armor. The process of exiting and re-entering is a time-consuming one. If an emergency occurs, I must be combat-ready.” Babbage’s red light blinks. "No, I don't."

“What do you do when there’s something delicious in the kitchen?”

“An intake valve is installed in the armor’s side.”

“What about transferring mana?”

Some steam blows out the armor’s top as the metal heats up. “…That is an inappropriate question, Miss Fujimaru.”


	39. Medusa

Even with her eyes covered, Ritsuka can tell where Medusa’s gaze falls.

“You should talk to her,” she says, keeping her voice low enough not to reach the younger Medusa’s ears. “At least say hi.”

Medusa shakes her head. “...I would just be proof of a future she doesn’t want to accept.”

“You can’t avoid her forever, you know. You might be teammates someday.” When Medusa doesn’t budge, Ritsuka sighs. “Just give it some thought.”

As Ritsuka starts to leave, Medusa speaks up. “Master. …Please watch over her kindly.”

Ritsuka turns back and smiles. “As if anyone could stop me.”


	40. Tawara Touta

Magical swords and spears are impressive things, and defeating giant centipedes is all well and good. But most people aren’t really made all that much happier by swords. Weapons don’t bring people together: they can only drive them further apart.

But there’s no one alive or dead who doesn’t appreciate a good meal, and Touta’s meals are the best of the best. Ritsuka will testify to that any day.

Of all the wondrous powers that her Servants possess, what Ritsuka wants most for herself is an infinite bag of rice. But an infinite supply of pizza wouldn’t be bad either…


	41. Paracelsus von Hohenheim

“I can’t picture you as a miner,” Ritsuka says, with a biography of Paracelsus open on her lap.

It’s to be expected, Paracelsus muses, since he hates to discuss himself at any length and since Ritsuka is posessed of a drive to learn about her Servants. That doesn’t make the situation much less surreal.

“Servants are summoned as facets of themselves. I am here as an alchemist and a physician, not as a miner from Egg in Einsiedeln. But if I should forget those humble beginnings, I fear I might become insufferable.”

More so than he already is, at least.


	42. Medea

It’s hard to condemn Medea as an evil witch.

Of course Ritsuka knows not all of Medea’s actions are justified. Whatever Jason’s many faults were, Glauce could not have known, and Medea’s children were innocent of any crime. Yet when Ritsuka thinks of how she might react if someone she loved, gave up everything for, were to spurn her for another…

Witch of betrayal seems less fitting than witch of overdone retribution.

She makes certain never to hesitate when she drinks the tea Medea prepares for her. It’s the least she can do, to trust and be trusted in kind.


	43. Ushiwakamaru

If Ritsuka ever summoned a Servant who called herself Minamoto no Yoshitsune, what would she be like? Bitter at her constant betrayal, angry at her brother to whom she had done nothing wrong, a tired figure resigned to the injustice of her own death?

She can’t imagine what that would do to Ushiwakamaru, having that vision of her future around Chaldea. The Ushiwakamaru who adores her lord brother and believes that loyal service is enough to be rewarded would be crushed by her mere presence.

So Ritsuka prays never to summon such a Servant, no matter how strong they are.


	44. Diarmuid Ua Duibhne

Ritsuka is protected from most charm effects. Some active uses of charm magic still overcome her resistance (Stheno being the worst offender), but something like Diarmuid’s passive love spot will only mildly influence her perception of his looks.

“What is it like, having a love spot you can’t turn off?” she asks.

Diarmuid’s expression clouds over. “Master… I have heard you wonder if Kiyohime’s affection for you is because of you yourself, or simply because you happen to be her Master. Is that correct?”

“Well, yeah…”

“That is what it is like, but for every woman I have ever known.”


	45. Darius III

Reading the story of Darius III, Ritsuka finds a figure she doesn’t recognize.

A coward who did not even take to the field until a year and a half into Iskandar’s campaign. A man who fled from battle after battle, even when the situation was to his own advantage. A weak king who died not to an enemy army but to his own commanders, bound and bleeding out in an ox cart and dead before Iskandar arrived.

Ritsuka decides not to bring any of this up to Darius. He’s reasonable for a Berserker, but that’s no reason to push it.


	46. Houzouin Inshun

“Surprised? Lancer, Houzouin Inshun. Pleased to meet you-”

Ritsuka throws her arms around him in a tight hug.

She knows this isn’t the Inshun that fought so bravely to keep them safe, was corrupted by the enemy, and had to be defeated. He has no idea what happened back in Shimosa or who she is. She knows that, but she can’t help but cling now that she’s seeing him with no red madness in his eyes, no tears of blood streaming down his face.

Inshun freezes for a second, before awkwardly wrapping his arms around her in return. “…There there?”


	47. Jing Ke

“I deserve a five star alt,” Jing Ke says, over her cup of sake.

“Um,” says Ritsuka.

“If the emperor is a five star, then someone who nearly defeated them should be a five star. Next summer event, I want to be a five star Saber in a bubble swimsuit.” Jing Ke downs the rest of her drink and wipes her mouth on her sleeve. “Even a welfare four star…”

“Maybe you could settle for another interlude or a rank up quest?” Ritsuka asks, sweating. “Asking to be gold is a little…”

Jing Ke tosses her empty cup at her.


	48. Lu Bu Fengxian

Lu Bu will betray any master, in life or in death. That much has not changed.

However, even he has people he is fond of. Liu Bei who he stepped in to rescue, Chen Gong who directed him effectively countless times… and Ritsuka, who allows him to rampage as much as he likes, and doesn’t complain about his barbarism or bad character or bloody history of treason.

It doesn’t mean he won’t betray them if he’s given a reason to. But he’d need a reason, and with what little thought he still possesses, he would think ‘that is a shame’.


	49. Cu Chulainn

Of all the Servants Ritsuka can just relax with, Cu Chulainn is near the top of the list.

She’s not much of a fisher, but even if they never catch anything, it’s nice just to hang out with him for a while. Not worrying about battles, or the fate of humanity, or even what ascension materials they’re running low on.

“Hey, Master, want to go fishing?” Cu Chulainn asks, leaning in the doorway. He doesn’t need to ask how she’s doing: he just knows.

She rubs the corners of her eyes and takes a second to breathe. “Fishing sounds great.”


	50. Euryale

As a natural incarnation of beauty and perfection, a goddess like Euryale has no need for makeup. But she likes beautiful things, and she likes making her Master beautiful.

“I don’t know about all this…” Ritsuka has to control the urge to fidget, lest she smudge the makeup.

“Most people would beg for the chance to receive a makeover from me,” Euryale says, finishing the last touches.

“I’m grateful, it’s just… I have more things to worry about than my looks right now.”

She tsks. “That’s why you of all people have the right to look beautiful. You’ve earned it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I realized that finishing the (current) NA silver non-Mash Servants would bring this to an even 50 chapters, and this was always about lower-rarity Servants to begin with... so I think this is the wrap-up!
> 
> Thanks for coming along this ride <3


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